Write a love letter to yourself and become your biggest fan

Operation Love Letter promotes mental health awareness month

You may depend on family and friends to lift you up when you've had a rough day or recieve bad news.

A support system is important, but your biggest advocate is you.

Self-love is an important facet of mental health and something most of us may not value enough in our daily lives.

Shown is the Robert Indiana sculpture "LOVE" in John F. Kennedy Plaza, commonly known as Love Park, in Philadelphia, Monday, May 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

May is mental health awareness month, and Operation Love Letter has come up with a unique challenge, by putting pen to paper for a visualization of self-love.

Almon Gunter, CEO and president of Almon Gunter Motivates Inc., believes all love starts with loving yourself. His love letter challenge is meant to stop the stigma of mental health disorders and affirm what you love about yourself by writing it down.

Almon Gunter.

Gunter is a highly acclaimed motivational and inspirational public speaker, author, and consultant, as well as a two-time U.S. Olympic trial qualifier in track and field.

“Mental health is strengthened when there is self-awareness of what wonderful things you possess on the inside of you. The love letter challenge focuses on getting you to work from the inside out,” Gunter said.

He offers tips on how to brainstorm a love letter to yourself.

Look in the mirror and ask yourself, “What do you love about you?”

Get a notepad or paper.

Find a quiet place to write.

Write down different things you love about yourself.

Organize the thoughts into a letter.

“Writing a love letter to yourself allows you to discover and see your potential and value as a person,” said Gunter.

A woman carries a tray of offerings at the Ha Pagoda in Hanoi, Vietnam, Thursday, Feb.14, 2019. On Valentine's Day singles flock to the sacred pagoda to wish for better luck in love. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh)

The goal of the letter is to encourage people to learn, take risks, and grow each day while learning to become their biggest fan.

This positivity spreads quickly, and can help support others who may struggling to love themselves.
Spread the love by using the #loveletterchallenge on social media.

Fireworks detonate as people kiss on the Old Port of Marseille, southern France, to mark Valentine's Day, Wednesday, Feb.14, 2018. The event is part of a Love Festival which starts this Tuesday in Marseille . (AP Photo/Claude Paris)